Month: January 2024

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister.

I enjoyed reading from our main perspective. I think her story was very sad and kind of tragic but also quite relatable in a way. Wanting to conform to societal expectations is I think what every young person coming from a minority goes through throughout adolescence. I liked how it kind of comes full circle and she acknowledges how she lost those facial features her parents passed down to her and how much she regrets letting things go so far.

I thought the other characters were interesting but it took me a little while to differentiate between them all. None of them were all that memorable to me and I didn’t really have an emotional connection to anyone other than our main protagonist so I didn’t really care what happened to any of them.

This was a very compelling read. I was pretty invested in finding out all the secrets about Holistik but I also wasn’t